The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-26

all lands, revere the christian religion and
are not ashamed to say SO before juries and
legislatures and senatcs. All geology will
yet bow before the Rock of Ages. All
botany will yet worship the Rose Of
Sheron. All astronomy will yet recognize
the Star of Bethlehem. And physiology
and anatomy will join hands and say; We
must, by the help of God, get the human
race up TO the perfect nerve, and perfect
muscle, and perfect brain, and perfect
form OF that perfect child before whom
nigh 1000 years ago Caspar, and Bclthasar,
and Mclchior bent their tired knees in
worship.
"Behold, also, in that first Christmas
night that God honored the fields Come
in, shepherd boys, 20 Bethlehem and see
the child. 'No, they say; we are not
dressed good enough to come in Yes
you are, come in. Sure enough, the
storms, and the night dew, and the
hrmbles have made rough work With
their apparel, but none have n better
right 10 come in. They were the iirst to
hear the music OF that Christmas night.
The first announcement of n Savior's birth
was made 10 those men in the fields.
There were wiseacres that night in Bethle-
hem and Jerusalem snoring in deep sleep,
and there were salared officers Of govern
mcnt who, hearing OF it afterward, may
have thought that they ought TO
have had the iiHt news Of such u
great event. Some one edismounting from
swift camel nj their door and knocking till
at some scntincls question, Who comes
thcreY the great ones of the palace might
be told OF the celestial arrival. No. the
shepherds heard the iirst two bars of the
music, the first in the major key and the
last in the subducd minor: GLORY TO God
in the highest, and on the earth peace,
good will TO men, All, yes; the fields were
honorcd. The old shepherds with plaid
and cross have for the most part vanished,
but We have grazing our United States
pasture fields and prairie about i5,0O0,0O0
sheep and all their keepers ought to fol-
low the shepherds OF my text, aud all those
who toll in fields, all winc-drcsseN, all
oChardis,s, all husbandmen. Not only
that Christmas night, but all up and down
the worlds history God has been h0noring
the fields. Nearly all the inessiahs OF re-
form, and literature, and cloqucncc, and
law, and bcnevOcnce, have come from the
| fields. Washington from the fields JEFF
| icrson from the fields. The presidential
martyrs, Garfield aud Lincoln, from the
| fields. Henry Clay from.thc fields. Daniel
Webster from the fclds. Martin Luther
from the fields. And before this world Is
right the oycrllowing population OF our
crowded cities will have 10 take to the
fields. Instead OF ten merchants in rivalry
as TO who shall sell that one apple, We
want at least eight OF them TO go out aud
raise wheat. The world wants now murC
hard hands, more bronzcd checks, more
muscular arms. 10 the fields GOd hon.
ored them when he woke up the shepherd.
by the midnight anthem, and he will
while the world lasts, continue 90 honor
the fields. When the shepherds crook
was that famous night stood aglins
the wall of the Bethlehem kahn
il was prophecy OF the time when
thrcshers fail, and farmers plow, and
binders rake shall surrender 10 the Cos
who made the country as man male the
town.
"Bchold also that on that Christina
night God honorcd motherhood. Tw,
angels on their wings might have brought
AN angel Savior to Bethlehem withuu
Mary's being thcp at all. When the vii
layers on the morning of December p
awokc, 10y divine arrangement and IL
some unexplained way, the child Jcsu
might have been found In some comfort
able cradle OF the village But no, no
Motherhood for all time was 10 bc consp
Grated, anSonc OF the tendcrst relation,
was to bc the maternal relation. aud on,
OF the sweetest words, mother In al
agrs God has honorcd good motherhood
John Wesley had good mother, St
Bernard had good mother, Samuc
Budget a good mO,hcr, Dpddridgc guo,
mother, Walter Scott good mother
BENJAMIN West q good mother IN grca
audience, most of whom wcr, christians
asked that all those who had been blc--ct
Of christian mothers arise, and almost th,
entire assembly stood mp. Don't you ~,
how important IL Is that all motherhood
be tonsccraicd2 Why did Titan, ih,
Italian artist, when he skcichcd the Ma
donna, make il an Italian facet Why dil
Rubcns, the German artist, in his Ma
donna make Il a German farc2 Why dit
Joshua Reynolds the English artist, II
his Madonna make IL an English face
Why did Murillo, the Spanish artist, IL
his Madonna make Il n Spanish iacci
never heard. but ! think they took ihci
own mothers rs the type ol Mary, th'
mother OF Christ. When YOU hear som'
one In sermon or oralion speak in thu
abstract Of good, faithful, homes
mother your eyes I'LL mp will
tcars while you say 10 yourself, that va
my mother The lrt word q child utter
Is apt Ia be Mother and the old man, II
his diving dream, calls, Mother! mother
II matters not whether she was brough
up In the surroundings of a city, aud il
aillucnt home, and was dressed appropri
atcly with reference 90 the demands q
modern life, or whether she wore the oil
tins cap, and great round spcCiaclcs, AN,
apron Oi her own make, and knit you
socks with her own needles. seated by th
broad fireplace, with great backlog abliz
on n winter night II matters not ho,
many wrinkles crossed and rccrU,scl he
face, or how much her shoulders sloopc
with the burdens Of q long life, II so
painted n Madonna, hers would bc th
lace. What gentle hand she had who
We were sick, aud what voice 10 sooth
pain, aud wis there any one who could n
iill up room with peace, and purity, an
lightl aud what sad day that was whc
We came home and she could greet us moi
for her lips were forever still. Come back
mother. this Christmas Day, and take you
old place, and, Us ten, or twenty, or iift
ycab ago, come and open the old Blbl
you used to read, and knccl In the sam
place where you used to pray, aud loo
upon us ~ of old when you wished us
Merry Christmas, or n Happy Ne,
Year. But, no That would not be mi
10 call you back. You had trouble
enough, and aches enough, and bcrcayC
monts enough while you were here. Tarr
by the throne, mother, till We Join yo
there, your prayers all answered, and !
the eternal homestead Of our God We sha
again keep Christmas jubilee together
but speak from your thrones, a